Fluid-conducting structure



S. W. SEDGIWICK.

FLUID CONDUCTING STRUCTUZRE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1920.

1,389,997. PatentedSept. 6,1921.

STANLEY w. SEDGWICK, or EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANA FLUID-CON DUCTIN GSTRUCTURE.

Conducting Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fluid-conducting structure such as aradiator cooperating with the cooling system of an internal combustionengine and used on a motor vehicle, the radiator including upper andlower tanks, spaced apart to permit the passage. of air between thetanks, and upright conduits adapted to conduct water from the upper tothe lower tank and through the space between the tanks. Said conduitsare usually seamless drawn tubes of thin metal, and in most cases areinseparably attached at their upper and lower ends to. plates or tubesheets forming parts of the tank walls.

The chief object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionwhereby the said tubes may be detachably secured to the said tube sheetsand quickly and conveniently applied and removed, so that a tube whichhas been ruptured, for example, by the freezing of water therein, may bereadily removed, and either repaired and returned to place, or replacedby a new tube, the operation of securing a tube to the tube sheets beingperformed without exerting injurious twisting strain on the thin metalof the tube.

To these and other related ends the invention consists in theimprovements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Ofthe accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of a radiator embodyingthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the collars hereinafterdescribed. applied to the upper endsof the upright tubes.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the collars hereinafterdescribed, applied to the lower ends of the tubes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, i920.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921. Serial No. 363,062.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a conduit composed of a tube and the saidcollars.

Fig. 5 s a perspective view of the wrench rod hereinafter described.

Figs. 1, 4 and 5 are broken away between their end portions.

he same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

In the drawings, 12 and 13 represent the spaced apart upper and lowertanks of a radiator, which as here shown, is of the general form of theFord radiator, although it is to be understood that my invention is notlimited to radiators and to fluid-conductin structures of this type.Into the uppe? tank water passes from the cooling system of the enginethrough an inlet 14, and water is returned from the lower tank to saidsystem through an outlet 15.

In carrying out my invention, I form in the bottom plate or tube sheetof the upper tank a plurality of tapped orifices 16, and in the topplate or tube sheet of the lower tank a plurality of tapped orifices 17,the orifices being arranged in vertical alinement with each other, andtheir threads having the same direction and pitch. To conduct water fromthe upper to the lower tank, I provide a plurality of upright conduits,each of which is composed of a tube 18, which is preferably a seamlessdrawn tube of thin metal. a collar 19 fixed to one end of the tube, anda collar 20 fixed to the opposite end of the tube. The end portions ofthe tube may be rigidly secured to said collars in any suitable manner,as by soldering. brazing, or pressing.

The collar 19 is external to the tube, the latter being fixed to theinner periphery or bore of the collar. Said collar is provided with adownwardly facing shoulder 21, adapted to be seated on the bottom plateor tube sheet of the upper tank 12. and with an external screw thread22, adapted to engage the thread of an orifice 16, the threads of thecollar and orifice being preferably tapered. The collar 19 is formed toengage turning members on an elongated wrench rod 23,

I inserted the conduit. As here shown, the

rod 23 is provided with oppositely projecting ears 24, and the collarl9'isprovided with radial slots 25, adapted to engage the ears 24.

The collar 20 is inserted as a bushing within the lower end portion ofthe tube 18, and is provided with a downwardly facing shoulder 26,adapted to be seated on the top plate or tube sheet of the lower tank13, and with an external screw thread 27 ,adapted to engage the threadofthe orifice 17, and with a bore 28 which is polygonal in crosssection, and adapted to receive a corresponding end portion 29 of thewrench rod. The screw threads of the orifice 17 and collar 20 are alsopreferabl tapered.

The tapped ori ces 16 in the upper tube sheet are of greater diameterthan the orifices 17 in the lower tube sheet, and are formed to permitthe collars 20 to pass freely through the tube sheet of the upper tank,when'the above described conduits are being inserted and removed.

Theupper tank is composed of a fixed section, which includes the bottomplate thereof, and a removable section,'wh1ch may be provided withflanges 30, detachably secured to the marginal portion of the fixedsection, as by bolts 31, suitable packing material being interposedbetween the two sections to form a water-tight joint. When the bolts 31are removed, the top portion of the upper tank may be removed to exposethe bottom plate or tube sheet thereof, and permit the insertion andremoval of the described conduits without opening thelower tank toexpose its tube sheet.

It will now be seen that each of the described conduits may be appliedand removed by engaging the ears 24 ofthe wrench A rod with the slots 25of the collar 19, and

the end portion 29 of the wrench rod with the bore 28 of the collar 20,and then rotating the wrench rod to engage the collars 19 with thetapped orifices 16, and'the collars 20 with the tapped orifices 17 thisoperation being performed without exertin jurious twisting strain on therelatively thin metal of the tube 18.

The slots 25 in the collars 19 are preferably flush with the uppersurface of the tube sheet of the tank 12, so that said slots con-'stitute drainage outlets through which water may escape from the bottomportion of the upper tank.

The tanks 12 and 13 are rigidly connected and held spaced apart bysuitable upright supports or frame members 34, between which air isadapted to pass from front to rear of the radiator.

The tubes 18 are preferably arranged in staggered relation, and may beprovided any inwith the usual heat-radiatingfins or leaves,

with tapped orifices,,the screw-threads of which have the same directionand pitch, and a plurality of sheet-connecting tubes, each having fixedcollars at its opposite ends externally threaded and adapted tosimultaneously engage the threads of two alined tube sheet orifices,said collars being formed to be simultaneously engaged by turningmembers on an elongated wrench rod, where by the collars and tube may besimultaneously rotated without strain on the tube.

2. A fluid-conducting structure substantially as specified by claim 1,the tapped orifices in one of said sheets being larger than those in theother sheet, and the collar at one end of each tube beinglarger thanthat at the opposite end, so that one collar may be passed looselythrough one of the tube sheets to permit the simultaneous en agement ofboth collars with the threads 0 two alined orifices.

3. A fluid-conducting structure substantially as specified by claim 1,the tapped orifices in one of said sheets being larger than those in theother sheet, and the collar at one end of each tube being larger thanthat at the opposite end, so that one collar may be passed looselythrough one of the tube sheets to permit the simultaneous en age- Y mentof both collars with the threads 0 two alined orifices, the largercollars being applied to the external surfaces of the tubes and providedwith downwardly facing shoulders seated on one of the tube sheets, andwith radial slots formed to engage ears on said wrench rod.

4. A fluid-conducting structure substantially as specified bygclaim'l,the tapped orifices in one of said sheetsbeing larger than those in theother sheet, and the collar at 5. As an article of manufacture, a tubesheet-connecting conduit composed of an elongated tube, and collarsattached at opposite ends thereof, said collars being externallythreaded to engage tapped orifices in two spaced apart tube sheets, andformed to engage turning members on an elongated wrench rod inserted insaid conduit.

'6. A tube sheet-connecting conduit substantially as s ecified by claim5, the threaded portion 0 the collar at one end of the tube being ofgreater diameter than the threadedportion of. the collar at the oppositeend.

r 7. A tube sheet-connecting conduit. substantially as specified bycl'alm 5, the collar at one end of said tube being applied to theexternal surface of the tube, and provided with a downwardly facingshoulder and with radial slots, while the collar at the opposite end ofthe tube is a bushing applied to the internal surface of the tube, andprovided with a downwardly facing shoulder, and with a wrenchrod-engaging bore.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

STANLEY W. SEDGWICK.

